Summer is the perfect time to get out on the water, enjoy the weather, and explore the rich marine life of the Pacific Coast. If you are near the water this summer, the coastal waters you might just be lucky enough to spot a whale. While killer whales and humpback whales are commonly seen during the summer months in British Columbia and Washington State, there is another whale … Continued
Join Ocean Wise, BlueAct Marine Society, the Sunshine Coast Conservation Association and the Loon Foundation to celebrate the whales of the Sunshine Coast! This August, join the Sunshine Coast Whale Festival to celebrate whale biodiversity and learn more about research and conservation initiatives underway in the region to help protect these incredible marine mammals. Led … Continued
Send a Sighting. Save a Whale! The Whale Report App Protects Whales from Ship Strikes July 7, 2025, VANCOUVER, B.C. — Today, Ocean Wise launched a revitalized Whale Report app, empowering individuals and commercial mariners to work together in real time to protect whales from ship strike and support critical marine conservation. Whale Report is … Continued
A latest study from Ocean Wise is two of a kind, but not only for the new research it presents, but how it got published Most often in the scientific community, researchers working on similar topics are in a race to see who can publish the work first. Dubbed “publish or perish”, this competitive culture … Continued
There’s a story unfolding just off our coast – one of resilience and urgency. Imagine this: A young killer whale swims beside her grandmother, learning ancient migration routes and how to find the tastiest Chinook salmon. Her family sings through the waves in a language all their own. These moments – rich in culture, connection, … Continued
Dispatch from the Field: by Gary Sutton, Ocean Wise Research Technician Well, that’s a wrap on Ocean Wise ’s third season of winter work, as part of the Whales Initiative’s annual whale health monitoring project in the Salish Sea, BC. It’s cold, unpredictable, and often exhausting—but also deeply rewarding (read about last year’s winter work … Continued
A new drone-based method from Ocean Wise identifies newly pregnant whales to help protection efforts *header image: Drone-collected image of mother and calf from the Northern Resident population. Image collected under Canadian research permit MML-18. Credit: Ocean Wise. (Feb 4, Vancouver, BC) New research from Ocean Wise, published in Scientific Reports, describes a first-of-its-kind method … Continued
Ocean Wise data contributes to new paper, published in Science, on global whale-ship collisions According to the fossil record, cetaceans — whales, dolphins and their relatives — evolved from four-legged land mammals that returned to the oceans beginning some 50 million years ago. Today, their descendants are threatened by a different land-based mammal that has … Continued
In 2022, the Ocean Wise Sightings Network launched the Whale Blitz, an annual series of land based whale watching events located along the southern coast of British Columbia. Whale Blitz watches are held in mid-July in celebration of World Orca Day and the anniversary of northern resident killer whale A73 ‘Springer’ being returned to her … Continued
Welcome to My Whale Report News, summing up sightings to the WhaleReport App for July and August of 2024. Here, you’ll find top photos, top reported species, and the impact of your whale and sea turtle sightings. A HUMPBACK BOOM – SIGHTINGS ROUNDUP Below, find some of our favourite submitted photos from Summer 2024. Credit … Continued
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Ocean Wise is based in the traditional and unceded territory of the Coast Salish Peoples, including the territories of the xÊ·məθkwÉ™yÌ“É™m (Musqueam), Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish), and SÉ™lÌ“ílwÉ™taÊ”/Selilwitulh (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations. We work across Turtle Island and beyond, supporting Indigenous peoples in their vital work on ocean conservation and biodiversity whenever possible or as we are invited to.